Letters home to his parents; paper on religion; and two photographs : Beckwith with friends and Branner Hall

Palo Alto, California

May 3, 1923

Dear Father,

I am no longer on the Freshman inter-class tennis team. I was challenged twice & though I beat the first fellow I was edged out yesterday after a close match.

I am doing my best to get back on again & hope to paly for the right to challenge another member of the team this afternoon.

I am getting lots of good practice & meet-

& playing with a number of fellows who play about like I do.

In her last letter mother authorizes me to spend fifty dollars on a typewriter so I will buy a Remington portable. This kind has a standard keyboard and I could use it if I took a course at Potts Businss college this summer I am still counting on a trip to Mexico City but such hopes are likely to crumble & I want to be able to do something else if necessary.

I received the copies of "Care of the Body" & will read them when I finish this letter.

I am sending you a circular of the local Y.M.C.A. which describes a promising course they have organized. I think I would like to try it before I graduate.

Your loving son,

Burnham

Stanford University

May 10,1923

Dear Mother and Father,

I gave my one and only debat in my oral debate class today and was very much pleased with my steady improvement. My colleague was the same person who was my partner in my debate with the California freshman and we debated in favor of socialsim,losing by a three to one vot e. The professor said afterwards that we deserved the decision so I am quite satisfied.He really complemented Weigle and I a good deal and told us he expected us to do something in debating before we get through here.

Of course I am interested in debating more than any thing else and was greatly cheered by this encouragement.Also as a result of my profound study of socialism I intend to vote for Debs at my first opportunity.

I did my best to get back on the tennis team after my first defeat but was unsuccessful.I played a match every day last week and met s everal good players.

I received mother's fifty dollar check for the typewriter and sent for one today.I intend to learn the touch system and so I had to buy machine with a standard keyboard.Nevertheless I would still like to spend the summer, six weeks rather,in Mexico city by myself.

We are having real summer weather here now and some days a re really hot.

I got a job counting people as they pass by on the steet down town for a local realty company and made fifty cents an hour for four hours.I may do this nine hours next Saturday if they continue the census.While I was working a man came up to me and said that we wanted some student to run his hotel while he was away.It would have been an easy job but as I did not need it I told Larry about it and he is going to try it.

I had an opportunity to ride down to see you next week for a couple of days for about eight dollars but I will not take it as they re going straight through.

It is almost nine oclock and I have done no studying as yet so I must say goodbye,

Your loving son,

Burnham

May 11, 1923

Dear Mother,

I am Writing you the first words I have written on my new typewrite It looks as good as new although it has been used for nineteen days This kind costs sixty dollars when new but I paid fifty dollars.

It is even more compact than Sterlings and I believe that it is built a little more solidly.The big advantage is,however,that it has a standard keyboard and if I learn to opreate it I can use a big commercial machine without learning the touch system over again.

As I was coming back from the post office a few minutes ago I saw a man selling a truck load of oranges and grape fruit so I stopped and bought a dozen oranges for forty cents.They taste very good.

I got nineteen out of twenty in my last Economics Ex and I had a good average in it before so I may get an "A" in this course I also expect an A" in oral debate.I have gone to the post office several times this week but th only luck I hvae had was your note and check.

This is Junior Week and ther eare a number of festivities. Last night there was a lake carnival and ther was a parade of decorated floats.One of the students was covered with flannel and soaked with gasoline He then was set on fire and dove into the lake from a hight of about 30 feet.Tonight there is the Junior Prom which is a big thing at any college and for which tickets cost five dollars.Over one thousand students will be there and they will dance all night.Tomorrow night there will be musical comedy staged by the same class, ticket to which will cost one dollar and quarter.

There was a slight fire on the campus today in one of the fraternities but little damage was done.

I must go out and play tennis with Webster so goodbye,

Your loving son,

Burnham

Thanks for the typewriter

Dear Grandfather,

I am practicing the touvh system on my new machine so please excude any errors I make.This is Saturday morning and we have no classes so my roomate is playing a piece on his ukulele while the boy next door does a "jig" all around my table.

This is the first week end I have not bee rushed with more work than I could do but now that my debates are over I have much more time.I think I will take a half day hike back into the hills today or tomorrow.

There are only four and a half more weeks of classes so I am looking forward to being home in a short time.It hardly seems possible that whole college year has nearly passed by.

Webster Otis,my room mate ,has a wireless set here in the room and has heard several distant stations.Last night we heard Calgary,Alberta and Vancouvor,British Columbia.

It is twelve oclock so I had better go down town and get something to eat and send a telegram so I close,

Your loving grandson,

Burnham